Chapter

Selection and Placement

Establish the basic scientific properties of personnel

selection methods, including reliability, validity, and
generalizability.
Discuss how the particular characteristics of a job,
organization, or applicant affect the utility of any test.
Describe the government’s role in personnel selection
decisions.
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Chapter

Selection and Placement

List the common methods used in selecting human

resources.
Describe the degree to which each of the common
methods used in selecting human resources meets the
demands of reliability, validity, generalizability, utility, and
legality.

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 Selection Method Standards for
Evaluation Purposes

Reliability
Validity
Generalizability
Utility
Legality

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 Reliability
Reliability is the degree to which a measure of
physical or cognitive abilities, or traits, is free from
random error.
The correlation coefficient is a measure of the
degree to which two sets of numbers are related.
 A perfect positive relationship equals +1.0
 A perfect negative relationship equals - 1.0

Knowing how scores on the measure at one time

relate to scores on the same measure at another
time refers to test-retest reliability.
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 Validity
Validity is the extent to which performance on the
measure is associated with performance on the job.
Criterion-related validation is demonstrated by a
correlation coefficient that indicates a significant
relationship between scores on the selection
measure and job performance scores. The types
include:
 Predictive validation
 Concurrent validation
 Content validation

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 Criterion-Related Validity

Predictive Concurrent

Test Measure Test Measure

Applicants Performance Existing their
of those Hired Employees Performance

TIME TIME

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 Content Validation
Content validation is performed by demonstrating
that the items, questions, or problems posed by the
test are a representative sample of the kinds of
situations or problems that occur on the job.
 Best for small samples
 Content validity is achieved primarily through a process
of expert judgement.

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 Generalizability
Generalizability is the degree to which the
validity of a selection method established in one
context extends to other contexts such as different
situations, different samples of people, and
different time periods.
Three contexts include:
 different situations
 different samples of people

 different time periods

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 Utility
Utility is the degree to which the
information provided by
selection techniques enhances
the effectiveness of selecting
personnel in organizations.
It is impacted by reliability,
validity, and generalizability.

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 Legality
All selection methods must conform to existing
laws and legal precedents.
Three acts have formed the basis for a majority of
the suits filed by job applicants:
 Civil
Rights Act of 1964 and 1991
 Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991

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 Civil Rights Act of 1991
This act protects individuals from discrimination
based on race, color, sex, religion, and national
origin.
The 1991 act differs from the 1964 act in three
different areas:
 It establishes employers' explicit obligation to establish
neutral selection methods.
 Allows a jury to decide punitive damages.
 It explicitly prevents the use of race norming as a means
of giving preferential treatment to protected groups.

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 Age Discrimination in Employment
Act
Covers individuals who are
between the ages of 40 and 69.
Litigation related to this act has
surged because of the general
aging of the work force and
downsizing.
There is no protection for

younger workers.

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 Americans with Disabilities Act
Protects individuals with physical or mental
disabilities.
Reasonable accommodations are required by the
organization to allow the disabled to perform
essential functions of the job.
 An employer need not make accommodations that cause
undue hardship.
Restrictions on preemployment inquiries.

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 Executive Orders
Executive Order 11246 parallels the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 but goes beyond it by:
 requiring affirmative action to hire qualified protected
group applicants, and
 allowing the government to suspend all business with a
contractor while an investigation is going on.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance
(OFCC) issues guidelines and monitors
compliance.

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 Types of Selection Methods

Interviews
Honesty Tests
and Drug Tests References and
Biographical Data

Work Samples HR
JOBS
Physical Ability
Tests

Personality
Inventories Cognitive Ability Tests

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 Interviews
 Selection interviews are defined as a dialogue initiated by
one or more persons to gather information and evaluate the
qualifications of an applicant for employment.
 The utility of an interview can be increased by the
following suggestions:
 Interviews should be structured, standardized, and focused on
goals oriented to skills and behaviors that are observable.
 Ask questions that force the applicant to display job-required
behaviors or knowledge.
 Use multiple, trained interviewers who can avoid personal
bias.
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 Situational Interview
A situational interview
confronts applicants on specific
issues, questions, or problems
that are likely to arise on the job.
These interviews consist of:
 experience-based questions
 future-oriented questions

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 Other Selection Methods
 References and Biographical data gather background
information on candidates.
 Physical ability tests are relevant for predicting not only job
performance but occupational injuries and disabilities.
Types of physical ability tests include:
 muscular tension, power, and endurance
 cardiovascular endurance

 flexibility

 balance

 coordination

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 Other Selection Methods
A cognitive ability test differentiates candidates
on mental ability. Abilities most commonly
assessed are:
 verbal comprehension
 quantitative ability
 reasoning ability

 Personality inventories categorize individuals by

their personality characteristics.
Work samples simulate the job in miniaturized
form.
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 Honesty Tests
The Polygraph Act of 1988 banned
the use of polygraph tests for
private companies except
pharmaceutical and security guard
suppliers.
Paper-and-pencil honesty testing
attempts to assess the likelihood
that employees will steal.
 Since these tests are new, there is little
evidence on their effectiveness.

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 Drug Tests
 Drug-use tests tend to be reliable and valid.
 The major controversies are whether drug tests represent an
invasion of privacy, an unreasonable search and seizure. or
a violation of due process.
 Tests should be administered systematically to all applicants
applying for the same job.
 Testing is likely to be more defensible when there are safety
hazards associated with the failure to perform.
 Test results should be reported to the applicant, who should
have an opportunity to appeal and be re-tested.
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